title: Occupational stress and self-rated health among nurses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the association between job stress and self-rated health among nurses in public hospital emergency units.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study undertaken through the administration of a self-administered questionnaire in a sample of 134 health professionals, using the brief version of the Job Stress Scale. Descriptive analyses of the socio-demographic, health and work variables were undertaken, as was multivariate analysis through unconditional logistic regression for adjustment of the association between job stress and poor self-rated health, in accordance with potential confounding variables, with a level of significance of 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  70% of the interviewees were classified as passive workers or as with high strain. Poor self-rated health was significantly greater among health professionals with high demand and low control, compared to those with low strain, after adjusting for co-variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low control, allied with low demand, can serve as a demotivating factor, contributing to the increase in professional dissatisfaction. It is recommended that institutions should adopt a policy of planning and managing human resources so as to encourage the participation of health professionals in decision-making, with a view to reducing job stress among nurses.
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. marizatheme@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mariza Miranda
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Theme Filha
authors.forename: Maria Aparecida de Souza
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Rodrigues
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Guilam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis*